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Monday, January 06, 2014

Author Interview- Michelle Cohen Corasanti (The Almond Tree)

Hello, everyone! In December 2013, I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to read author Michelle Cohen Corasanti's debut novel, The Almond Tree. It is an amazing read and my review of the book can be found here. The book ended up being one of the best books I read last year. We also hosted a giveaway for it which got over yesterday itself and I hope all the lucky winners enjoy the story just as much as I did. In other news, again, I consider myself really lucky to have had the chance to have an interview with the author, thanks to The Readers Cosmos. So without any more ado, let's get on to the lovely interview post I have for you.

Hi Michelle! Welcome to The
Readdicts. It’s a pleasure to have you on our blog and we hope you have a great
time answering our questions.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a Jewish American. In high school, I
went to Israel with our rabbi’s daughter knowing next to nothing about the
situation there. I returned seven years later knowing more than I ever wanted
to know. I studied Middle Eastern studies and graduated from law school. I
wanted to help bring about change, but there was nothing that could be done.
After a decade of college, I wanted to put the whole conflict behind me. I
attempted to bury it and return to who I was before I witnessed the horrible
situation in Israel.

I was able to bury the past for over a
decade until I readThe Kite
Runner. My past clawed its way out. What I learned fromThe Kite Runneris that a writer can reach into
readers’ hearts and change them. That’s when I decided to become a writer. I
was finally ready to tell the story that had been inside me for two decades.

2. You have been a student of Middle Eastern Studies. How
important a role did your education play in writingThe Almond Tree?

In Middle Eastern studies, we studied
history, politics, economics, Islam, Arabic, Middle Eastern literature and all
other topics related to the Middle East. I wrote about what I knew and what I
lived, but I was also able to pull from what I studied as well to give a
complete picture.

3. I personally haven’t come across any piece of fiction written
on the Israeli- Palestinian issue. What made you take it up as the theme of
your novel?

I think it’s easier for people to relate
to human stories than it is facts. I wanted to try and cast as large a net as
possible in order to shine a light as bright as I could on the situation in
Israel and try to show that there was a better way.

4. You have predominantly studied Arts. How easy or
difficult was it to incorporate so much of Science inThe Almond Tree? Has Science
always interested you or did you have to develop an interest in it in order to
make it such an important part of the novel?

My story is very personal. The seed for
the story comes from a glimmer of home I witnessed at Harvard when I saw a
Palestinian and an Israeli scientist working together. At the time, I spoke
Arabic very well and helped the Palestinian translate his lectures from Arabic
to English. His research was similar to what I discuss, but not the same. I
don’t know science at all or math. I had to have someone help me with the math
equations and, in fact, three of the equations were wrong in the book. I have
since corrected them in the current PDF.

5. Tell us about
Ahmed Hamid. How did the idea to write his story come up? Is he influenced by
someone you know or is he a complete product of your imagination?

I wrote about what I know. Ahmed is a composite of many people I met
during all the years I was involved in the conflict. The scientist part was a
composite of different Palestinians from inside the green line I met at Hebrew
University, Harvard and MIT.

6. As your debut novel, I’m sure The Almond Tree is like
your baby and means a lot to you. Additionally, it has also influenced many
readers. How much does readers’ response and the fact that everyone is
impressed by your work mean to you?

Of course I’m thrilled and humbled.

7. What’s next in store for you? Any ideas for a new
book?Also,The
Almond Treehas received some
amazing reviews, so much so that it has been spoken on par with Khaled
Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Does that feel like it’s too much pressure,
especially since readers will now have high expectations from whatever you
write next?

I’m just finishing my next book. When I
wroteThe Almond TreeI wanted people to see the situation
through Nora’s POV, but I was unable to give her all my flaws. To be a complex
character, one must have flaws. She was who I wished I could have been and
failed to be. In retrospect, I think I was hiding all her flaws from Ahmed.

Someone asked me to expand on the
Nora/Ahmed romance. I began to write it from Nora’s POV and the story just
flowed.

The Almond Treeis written in a style similar to Khaled
Hosseini’s. He was able to open the east up to westerners. I needed a different
writing style to capture Nora’s POV. InThe
Almond Tree, Ahmed’s relationship with Nora is a small part of his book,
for Nora it is her entire book. In my next book, I am conveying what it was
like for me to come back to the US after living in Israel for seven years. I
thought I would re-acclimate easily, but that didn’t turn out to be the
case. Going from Ahmed’s
world to Harvard was a huge culture shock. Although it’s a great university, I
found the issues that people were dealing with in the US so superficial
compared to what I had experienced in Israel. I needed more of an Emily Giffin
style to capture that reality. My next book is more of a social commentary on
American society.

8. What advice would you give to young aspiring writers?

The Almond Treetook me seven years to write. It could
have taken me twenty. I wasn’t going to stop until I achieved what I set out to
achieve. Don’t give up. Writing is about rewriting. Be prepared to rewrite many
times. Read like a writer
as many books as you can. See
how your favourite authors moved you. I found writing courses to be very
helpful. I took twenty-one on-line writing courses through Writer’s Digest.

9. Who are some of your favourite authors and what are
some of your favourite books?

I love all Khaled Hosseini’s books,
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan, Open by Andre Agassi, American Wife by Curtis
Sittenfeld, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid , Emily Giffin’s
books, Sarah’s Key, Those Who Save Us, The Invisible Bridge, The Glass House.

10. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Give
us a glimpse into any normal day of your life.

I hang out with my husband and twins
when I’m not writing.

In the winter, we live in Florida. A
typical day here is I get up early and exercise. Make breakfast for my twins.
They are home schooled so I get them going.

I usually do something connected toThe Almond Treeevery day. Right now I have to give
five talks this coming month so I’m preparing for those. I’m invited to speak
in front of very different groups so I have to tailor each lecture differently.
I’m writing my next book and I usually have to do a couple of interviews each
week. Also, I read a lot.

At night we either go out to eat, I cook
or order in. We usually eat dinner as a family and then watch movies at night.

Thank you so
much for taking the time out to have a lovely chat with us and we hope you stop
by our blog soon. Wish you lots of happiness, success and peace!

Thank
you so much for the interview. I wish you all the best.

I hope you enjoyed reading the interview and I hope it makes you want to read the book soon. Thank you so much for stopping by and I'd like to thank Michelle once gain for the amazing interview.